Page 56 of Gift-Wrapped in a Kilt

If she was completely honest about it, she had to admit her two oldest brothers hadn't been welcoming to Gavin. Lachlan had once told Gavin, "You're in our country now, laddie, best show a little respect." Jamie knew — or maybe hoped — Lachlan had been joking. As the oldest and most overbearing sibling, he often made jokes with a serious expression on his face, especially if he wanted to intimidate the other person. Rory did the same thing, but he'd learned it from Lachlan.

She peeled her lids apart to gaze up at Gavin's sleeping face. His lips had curved up in a slight smile as if he dreamed of sweet things. She propped her chin on his chest. Their relationship had started out so well. Perfect, actually, in spite of Aidan getting a wee bit peevish about the speed at which things had progressed. Like Aidan had any right to be peevish about that. He'd moved into Calli's guest bedroom after a few days and seduced her not long after. When Jamie had arrived for a visit, Aidan had moved into Calli's bedroom to give Jamie the guest room.

Her thoughts rewound to eighteen months ago when she'd first seen Gavin Douglas. Aidan and Calli had just brought her home from the airport to Calli's house in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Calli's puppies, Misty and Mandy, had glommed onto Jamie the instant she walked into the house. Since she'd always loved animals, Jamie had knelt to let them lick and climb on her the way puppies did.

Then the sliding glass doors had opened, and Gavin strode into the house.

Her pulse quickened at the sight of him, six foot one and muscular, standing straight and proud, those pale-gold eyes surveying the situation. When he spotted the puppies assaulting Jamie with their love, his brows had furrowed and his mouth fell open a crack.

She rose, smoothing her skirt, and turned to Gavin. "You must be Calli's brother. I'm Jamie, Aidan's sister."

Gavin's furrowed brow ironed out, and he smiled the goofiest smile she'd ever seen. He hustled over to her, nearly tripping over the puppies in his determination to clasp her hand in his bigger one for a lingering handshake.

And oh yes, Aidan watched from a few meters away with his mouth crimping and his eyes narrowing.

"Hey," Gavin said, a touch breathless, his hand still around hers. "Nice to, uh, meet you. I'm Gavin. Douglas. Calli's brother, Gavin Douglas.

Jamie grinned, delighted by his nervousness. Big, strong men rarely let their nerves show. Calli had told her Gavin was a former Marine, so she would've expected him to be stoic. Instead, he grinned right back at her, a bit lopsided, and maintained dominion over her hand.

She loved the feel of his callused, powerful hand enveloping hers.

Aidan rushed forward to seize her wrist and wrest her hand free of Gavin's. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Let me show you to your room."

She let Aidan haul her away but half turned to flash a smile at Gavin, who flashed her that lopsided grin again. As her bossy brother dragged her down the hallway, she heard Calli tell Gavin, "Gee, Gav, looks to me like you're going gushy over Aidan's sister."

And Jamie had giggled, so softly only Aidan heard it.

Her brother, of course, scowled about it.

She'd later learned Gavin was staying in a hunting shack in the woods not far from the house.

For the next few days, she'd seen Gavin only when Calli and Aidan were around, the three of them spending the days together. Every night, Aidan and Calli would retreat into the bedroom they shared, and Jamie would hole up in the guest room and dream about Gavin Douglas's muscles and his smile and his sexy voice.

One day, she and Gavin had taken the puppies for a walk without Aidan or Calli. That's when it had happened. Their first kiss.

Jamie had been holding onto Mandy's leash, the smaller puppy easier for her to handle. Bigger Misty had been pulling on her leash, half dragging Gavin down the trail through the woods. They'd stopped for a rest in a small clearing. The puppies flopped down in the grass, panting but smiling in the way only dogs could. A patch of the bluest-blue sky she'd ever seen was visible above their heads, and a breeze stirred the leaves of the trees so they sizzled like a skillet of bacon.

"I'm starved," Jamie announced, her stomach grumbling from her thoughts of frying meat. "Should we go back to the house?"

Gavin aimed his golden eyes at her, raking his gaze up and down her body. His tongue flicked out to moisten his lips. "In a minute. Something I gotta do first. Can't wait one more minute for it."

"For what?"

He strode up to her, the dog leash firmly in his left hand, and slung his right arm around her waist to pull her snug against his body. "For this."

At the instant his mouth covered hers, she stopped breathing. Her pulse raced. His lips explored hers tenderly at first, then pressed hard against her lips, stealing her breath and sending her pulse into overdrive. Her eyes drifted shut, her body softened against him. When he lapped at the seam of her mouth, she opened up to him without hesitation, relishing the sensation of his tongue rasping over hers.

She moaned, grasping his upper arms.

He plunged deeper, claiming her mouth as if he'd never relinquish the contact, swirling his tongue around hers, teasing the roof of her mouth. His hand wandered to her behind, cupping her in a possessive way that had her wriggling her hips against him.

The dog leash tumbled from her grasp.

Jamie pushed away from Gavin, lunging down to snag the leash. "Oh! I almost let Calli's baby get away from me."

"Nah," Gavin said. "Mandy wouldn't run off without Misty."

Her cheeks felt hot. Her whole body, in fact, felt hot — and achy in the most wonderful way.

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